Words of wisdom from Doug:
Real Philadelphia Christians: The Bible describes Philadelphia Christians as having a strong desire to carry out the mission that Jesus Christ gave to His Church (Revelation 3:7–13). That mission involves preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God to the world (Mark 1:14–15; 16:15), warning the world and especially Israelite nations of the consequences of disobedience (Matthew 24; Mark 13; Luke 21), and preparing a people to reign with Jesus Christ in the coming Kingdom of God (Luke 1:17). However, as the name “Philadelphia” means “brotherly love,” true Philadelphians will also strive to follow Jesus’ admonition to “love one another” (John 15:12–17). Showing concern for others is one of the distinguishing marks of a real Philadelphian Christian. Let’s all look for ways to do that in our increasingly self-centered world.
Have a profitable Sabbath, Douglas S. Winnail
Is there an Armstrong COG that practices Philadelphia love? Has there ever been?
22 comments:
Last published in December 2021. Either LCG members have very short attention spans, or Winnail thinks he is ministering over a church full of Laodiceans.
Doug say warning the world especially Israelite nations…
Are Israelite nations more important than any other nation. Who are these Israelite nations? Is LCG still pushing the idea that England and the United States are Israelite nations. What is this warning message? Are they preaching this message to the 20 or 30 people who come to their Tomorrow’s World presentation. Is Germany about ready to take us captives? Do they ever get tired of repeating the same thing over and over.
Sorry Douglas old chap.
I just read our ‘epistle’ to the ‘troops’.
About as inspiring as watching wet paint to dry. But there are a few problems here with your theology.
I could name them but I think the dwindling membership, failed media campaigns, near total invisibility of ‘your work’, lack of growth say it all.
Would be summed up in ‘Mission failed’.
The term "love" was understood as a verb, an action, not a nown or feeling. Love your neighbor had little to do with affection for him. I Cor 13 speak of actions, being kind, patient, etc. What loving deeds did the WCG encourage its member to do? We mocked outsiders. We looked down on them. Did RCM ever serve meals to the homeless on Thanksgiving? Did HWA invite poor to the dining facility on campus? HWA wouldn't even mingle with his own members, the ones who paid for his luxuries, let alone outsiders.
There's something wrong in having canned messages. It's as if his church is asleep, and he fears that trying to wake them up could endanger his job.
Church organizations of any kind cannot love. They are an artificial "virtual" entity.
Only individuals can love.
Dangerous Doug Winnail gave his version of what preaching the Gospel means, but predictably omitted the act of love for which Jesus came into the world - to save sinners.
1 Timothy 1:14-15
The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.
Doug does not preach about grace, and instead hones a message that his people must save themselves by their own works.
Doug denies the people sound teaching on grace and love - and then he constantly needs to chastise them to show more love.
Here's an Easter blessing for my LCG friends and family:
Ephesians 6:23-24
Peace to the brothers and sisters, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.
If he wants to find Philadelphia Christians, the best place to go is Philadelphia! There are church eras or epochs, but they are based on timelines and historic events, not the names of seven cities along a trade route. William Miller was steeped in the theory of church eras just as HWA, only Miller believed that the Laodicean era was the era in which he lived.
Is it really a converted thing to do to tell people who believe as you do that they are Sardis (dead), but that you are Philadelphian? Or that you must shun people who believe as you do, telling them they are Laodicean because they won't follow you? The doctrine of the church eras was perhaps the most divisive and damaging doctrine to ever hit the sabbath keeping churches.
As far as my knowledge I would rather believe what Paul and Christ inspired.
In Acts, Paul mentioned that all men from everywhere (all nations) were to repent, from
Acts 17:30 Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent,
Acts 17:26 And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth
Then they get into the boundaries thing, ignoring how in America; many Germans, British, French, Italians, Irish came over. Africans, Native Americans and Asians also are within the nation.
Christ told everyone who our neighbor is in the parable of the Good Samaritan, being one who showed mercy and love found in Luke 10:25-30, can be someone from a different demographic.
How are people going to have or show Philadelphia love when their sole focus is the Israelite nations. Christianity is about Christ working in someone so that they love all mankind? God calls people out of every nation.
As Anonymous 5:59 emphasized 1 Cor. 13
And in referencing the Love Chapter, when considering all these “descended peoples and their nations” at the end time. It’s may be cool if you have it right, but if you don’t have love, you’ve missed the point.
1 Corinthians 13:2
And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
They want this Philadelphia love, but they simply don’t understand that christian groups like the Waldensians, Cathars, Bogomils, Albigensian were not concerned about what “era” they were in as they were being persecuted by the catholic church and the empire. They had the love for one another through their trials.
They also weren’t concerned about or at least it’s not in their writings that they identified as Ruben, Asher or Dan. They were trying to get into the Kingdom.
Trooisto posted:
“Here's an Easter blessing for my LCG friends and family:
Ephesians 6:23-24
Peace to the brothers and sisters, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.”
As a trinitarian wouldn’t a trinitarian quote have been better?
"As a trinitarian wouldn’t a trinitarian quote have been better?"
Was this supposed to be insulting to Trinitarians? If it was deemed as that, then you demonstrated how little you understand after listening to the junk from COG ministers on the subject.
Hello Anonymous of Tuesday, March 29, 2022 at 11:32:00 AM:
You asked: "As a trinitarian wouldn’t a trinitarian quote have been better?"
I believe you are correct - or at least there is my favorite Trinitarian blessing - the one I use so much on my COG associates, I think that it has just become meaningless background noise to them.
Therefore, I thought I'd offer a different blessing yesterday.
However, that favorite blessing I'll now give to you:
2 Corinthians 13:14
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
I'm wondering if you may be as fascinated as I am with how some verses and biblical phrases hold no value in COG minds - when these same scriptures and concepts mean so much to other Christians, many of whom are Trinitarians?
In my opinion, any verse about grace, justification, love of God, love of Jesus, peace with God, redemption ... are of low value or of little interest to Armstrongites.
As evidence for my opinion, I often ask COG associates (who regularly send me links to their church literature and sermons) to send me an article or sermon on one of the topics I mentioned in the sentence above.
Of course, I never receive any links related to my request.
I think this lack of attention paid to and interest in so many New Covenant concepts is a major reason why there is a noticeable lack of love in the COGs.
Obviously, when Doug Winnail regularly harps on the need for his peeps to have more love, much of the fault lies with him for not teaching and avoiding so much Holy Scripture.
Regardless of the failings of Doug Winnail, I try to do my part in educating and encouraging my friends to encounter the parts of their Bible that their church is not inspired by.
In doing so, I feel like I am engaging in the Great Commission (that one expressed with words that strike the heart of a Trinitarian):
Matthew 28:19
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
According to Herbert W. Armstrong's Church Eras Theory this would now be the Laodicea era of the church.
Everyone goes their own way and makes up their own stuff, like the LCG leaders coming up with their two-fold gospel message, marriage supper in heaven idea, and falling away in the world.
They say that they are doing great but do not realize that they are “wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.”
HWAs claim that his church was the Philadelphian era blinded many to the existence of predatory ministers and members in his church. Christ's "beware of the Pharisees" would have been more appropriate.
Anon @ Monday, March 28, 2022 at 7:45 PM
"How are people going to have or show Philadelphia love when their sole focus is the Israelite nations. Christianity is about Christ working in someone so that they love all mankind? God calls people out of every nation. "
Regarding God calling people out of every nation. When? If then and now, I do not see much success from God.
You have to think for a minute, and ponder your reaction to the graphics associated with this blog post. If you were just bebopping along through your daily routine, and happened to see the word "Love" on a billboard, the cover of a magazine, or flashing on a TV screen, how would your mind work in free association mode? What would be the very first thing that came into your mind? The answer to that question would be very telling.
Would you think of your marriage? Your old grandmother? Feeding the world? Members of the deity or trinity? Your church? Its leader? Aging Hippies listening to a certain Led Zeppelin song? The essence of Armstrongism? Will Smith defending the honor of his wife?
I ask this because looking back to the bygone days, I would not have connected it in any way to the WCG/HWA/AC. Those would most likely be some of the last things which came to mind, although they would be the first thing the church commanded, as if it could be something summoned by cue. What is designated as a sign in the Bible would flow naturally. It's not something you can command, because if that were possible, then it would be of no value whatsoever. In its purest form, such an elusive quantity should be something which flows naturally.
According to Herbert W. Armstrong's Church Eras Theory this would now be the Laodicea era of the church.
No. According to HWA his era was Philadelphia. But with hindsight and what we know now, WCG was either in the late Thyatira era or the early Sardis Era. Today's scattering of small and powerless churches is a Sardis characteristic, not a sign of Laodicea.
Remember that HWA also taught us that the Jews are the keepers of the oracles, including the calendar. That calendar has a couple hundred more years before we reach year 6000. By HWA's own teaching, it is easy to see that the Philadelphia and Laodicea eras are yet to come.
It's believed the Jews preserved the lunar calculations determining months of the calendar, but are wrong about the counting of years. The 6000 years may be as follows:
1655 years – Gen 5; 427 years – Gen 11; 450 years – Acts 13:17-19: Abraham leaving Haran to Caleb getting land; 434 years – 1Kings 6:1: 480 years less 46 years from exodus to Caleb getting land; 429 years – 2Chr: 36 remaining years of Solomon to Zedekiah’s 11th year ending 585 BC; 2605 years – 585 BC to 2021 AD, no 0 BC/AD.
Well, 9:45, that almost fits my theory that the tribulation began when Donald Trump was elected POTUS. We're in brief hiatus right now, because his presidency has been interrupted. I'd advise everyone that until then, it's party time. Work your bucket list during this all too brief intermission, because when he comes back, he's going to finish us off.
the tribulation began when Donald Trump was elected POTUS. We're in brief hiatus right now, because his presidency has been interrupted. I'd advise everyone that until then, it's party time. Work your bucket list during this all too brief intermission, because when he comes back, he's going to finish us off.
That's funny. I would have said just the opposite. Obama accelerated the onset of the tribulation and Hillary would have brought it on full force. We got a respite with Trump, but with Biden now in power, the tribulation is once again moving full speed ahead.
That's not your fault, 1:34. The hard right has found it very easy to fool and deceive most Christians who believe that authoritarianism is the solution to human nature. Freedom and truth have been redefined by them.
By the way, I would agree with you if your position were that both 2016 candidates for POTUS were p.o.s's. Who could ever have known that Obama would have been such a great president? Difficult for anyone to follow an act like that! And, people thought that Romney would have induced undue societal engineering based on his Mormon faith. He has proven himself to be more even handed than any of his competitors. Both parties are now controlled by their radical fringes. We middle of the road guys have no representation and the America we love is being destroyed by radicals who just want to nuke the other party. A dirty fight to the bitter end instead of compromise for the greater good. It really sucks.
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